Under no circumstances can the official FMYSA furnished baseball jersey be modified (i.e. no personalized names on the back or removal of sleeves). Any infraction will require the player or coach to purchase at his/her expense a new uniform; any game played with illegal uniforms will be forfeited.

Judgment calls by the umpires may appear unsatisfactory. Please do not argue with the umpires. This only delays the game and presents a bad image to the players and parents. The umpires have been instructed to warn any argumentative coach, player, or parent one time. After that, the umpire has the authority to remove said person from the game and/or park. Umpires will notify the league of any and all ejections.

Each FMYSA coach should remember that we are here for the enjoyment of the children. This is a developmental/recreational league, not a competitive league. Please communicate with the players in a positive, supportive manner.

Discipline problems should be handled by removing the child from the activity or drill for an appropriate amount of time. The Time Out principle works well.

If a child is injured during a game and the coach/umpire believes the injury serious enough to stop play, he/she will do so. Coaches should attend to their players immediately. A first aid kit is a good idea for every team. If the nature of the injury is serious enough, the Flower Mound Fire Department should be called. Contact the Field Director A.S.A.P. and document the injury.

The official ball for the 5U and 6U age groups will be a reduced injury baseball. 7U and above will use regulation leather baseballs.

An offensive team will be allowed to score a maximum of five (5) runs per inning unless otherwise stated.

Metal t- ball bats will be allowed for recreational league play only. T-ball bats will not be allowed during post season tournament play. Wooden bats are not allowed at any time. Metal, graphite or ceramic bats, manufactured specifically for baseball play, which are round and not more than two and three-fourths inches (7.0 cm) in diameter at the thickest part, nor more than 42 inches (106.7 cm) in length, are acceptable.

All players should be rotated equally through all positions in the field. In an effort to speed the game, it is recommended that coaches do not change players’ defensive positions each inning.

If you need league assistance with a matter, please contact your league director first. If they cannot resolve the matter, contact the V.P of Baseball.

FMYSA rules are in addition to current Major League and USSSA rules. FMYSA rules always take precedent over Major League and USSSA rules.

ALL teams will bat the entire roster

Coaches are entitled to free defensive substitution; the players' spots in the batting order do not change. The only exception is kid pitcher for kid pitch age groups. Once a kid pitcher is removed from the pitching position that player may not return as the pitcher in the same game.

For ages 7U and above, no player shall remain on the bench for more than two consecutive defensive innings. Under 7U all defensive players take the field.

Catcher position is required to wear full protective headgear, mask, shin guards, and a chest protector. Ages 7U and above must wear a protective cup at the catcher position. 7U may wear a soft or hard style protective cup; 8U and above must wear a hard style protective cup.

Coaches should refrain from touching base runners during live play. Pushing or physically assisting a runner is prohibited. Penalty: 1 warning, the 2nd time is an out.

For 8U and above: If any team forfeits more then 1 game for any reason, that team will not be allowed to participate in the City Championship tournament.

For 9U and above, a courtesy runner shall be allowed to enter the game for the catcher ONLY when there are 2 outs in any inning. The courtesy runner must be the player who made the last out in that same inning. This is an optional rule but is emphasized to keep the pace of play.

Metal Spikes are only allowed for 15/16 age group. Age groups 14U and down are not allowed to use metal spikes.

Number of Innings, Time Limits, Score Kept, Base & Pitching Distances, and Infield Fly Rule

Age Group	Innings	Time Limit (minutes)	Score Kept	Base Distance	Pitching Distance	Infield Fly Rule used
Blast Ball	4	45 ⁽¹⁾	No	50’	n/a	No
Tee Ball	4	50 ⁽¹⁾	No	50’	38’	No
5U	6	55 ⁽¹⁾	No	50’	38’ ⁽⁴⁾	No
6U	6	55 ⁽¹⁾	No	50’	38’ ⁽⁴⁾	No
7U	6	75 ⁽²⁾	Yes ⁽³⁾	60’	42’	No
8U	6	75 ⁽²⁾	Yes	60’	42’	No
9U	6	90 ⁽²⁾	Yes	65’	46’	No
10U	6	90 ⁽²⁾	Yes	65’	46’	Yes
11U	6	105 ⁽²⁾	Yes	70’	50’	Yes
12U	6	105 ⁽²⁾	Yes	70’	50’	Yes
13/14	7	105 ⁽²⁾	Yes	80’	54’	Yes
15/16	7	110 ⁽²⁾	Yes	90’	60’ 6”	Yes
Notes:
(1)	Play will immediately cease after time expires.
(2)	No inning starts if less than 10 minutes remains. After time expires the HOME team can finish the inning if trailing by 5 runs or less. Games that end in a tie will not go into extra innings; they will be officially recorded as tie games.
(3)	Score is kept only to provide data to the age group director for creating appropriate divisions of play. Game scores and Win/Loss record will not be posted.
(4)	Coaches are allowed to use a floating rubber. This means you may move as close to your batter as you deem necessary to enable the batter to successfully hit a pitched ball. Remember though, the child-pitcher must remain at least 38' from home plate.

Pitching restrictions:

Age Group		Innings Per Day	Innings Per Week
9U		3	6
10U		3	6
11U		5	8
12U		5	8
13/14		5	10
15/16		Use USSSA Pitching Restrictions
Notes:
1.	A week is from 12:01am Monday to 12:00 midnight the following Sunday.
2.	Coaches who do not follow these guidelines will be subject to the following via the age group director: 1st violation=Forfeit Game 2nd violation= out of City Championship A Coach who violates this rule and causes his team to be exempt from the City Championship will be expelled from coaching in FMYSA for a minimum of 1 year.
3.	When pitching in more than one game on the same calendar day, pitchers may pitch any combination of innings provided they do not exceed the “Innings Per Day” limitation.
4.	As soon as a pitcher delivers one pitch to a batter the pitcher shall be considered as having pitched in one inning.
5.	Any pitcher removed from the mound and/or the lineup, or a pitcher who is withdrawn from the mound and stays in the game at another position, shall not be permitted to pitch again in the same game.
6.	Once the “Innings Per Day” limitation has been reached a pitcher must have at least forty (40) hours rest before pitching again. The 40 hours rest is computed from the starting time of the game in which the pitching occurred, or, in games which begin more than two hours after the scheduled starting time, the actual starting time of the games will be used to interpret this rule.

Special Rules for Interlock Play

Each team will supply one game ball and one "good" practice ball per game.

Coaches will be asked to stay in the dugout during the game. Sitting in the open dugout space will be permitted.

Home teams will be responsible for supplying umpires, keeping the official scorebook, and reporting game results.

When playing a team from another league on a (Flower Mound) field, the (FMYSA) teams will continue to utilize the defined rules as specified above.

When playing a team from another league on their home field, (FMYSA) teams will continue to utilize the defined rules as specified above. The exception would be when a umpire at the home fields instructs the (FMYSA) team of a rule change. Objections to the rule change(s) will be handled by the board, not on the field. All disagreements need to be forwarded in writing to the baseball commissioner and respective age group director.

A courtesy runner can be used for the catcher only provided there are two outs in the inning. The courtesy runner must be the player recorded as the last/previous out.

Metal spikes are not allowed.

Any base runner stealing home plate on a swinging strike is out at the time the bat is swung. A bunt is not a swinging strike. If a base runner is called out for attempting to steal home, the ball is dead and the pitch does not count. The intent of the rule is to protect the base runner without taking away the opportunity to steal. It is not an out if the following situation exists. Exp: The bases are loaded, the count is 3 balls and 2 strikes on the batter, and there are 2 outs. If on the pitch all runners start moving and the batter swings and fouls off the pitch or gets a hit, this shall not be considered illegal and therefore no action shall be taken by the umpire in calling anyone out.

Blast-Ball Rules - Updated 11/08

Players Age:

Age requirements are, all players must be 3 years old before end of registration, and cannot be older then 3 years old on April 30th of the year participating in Blast-Ball.

Playing Field:

Playing field will consist of 1st base loaded with a horn, home plate where batter will hit from a “Tee” and all defensive players will line up at least 38 feet away from home plate.
Any ball hit 10 feet from home plate or past the fair ball arc will be considered a fair ball and the batter shall advance to 1st base.

Equipment:

All players must wear team baseball cap and team t-shirt supplied by FMYSA. Hat and shirt must be worn during all games.
No player shall wear a baseball/softball glove. The game ball is foam rubber and will be safe for kids to play without gloves.
All equipment for Blast-Ball will be furnished to the team and coach by FMYSA. The coach is responsible for the care and upkeep of the equipment. Coaches prior to the start of the season will pick-up and after the season return the Blast-Ball equipment each season.
FMYSA furnished equipment will include: Blast balls, bat, batting tee, blast-ball 1st base and (2) batting helmets, and will be provided to all teams.

Rules:

Each Blast-Ball team may have (2) coaches on the field of play at all times
No offensive player will be allowed on the field unless he/she is wearing a batting helmet.
Each team will bat its entire roster in each inning one complete time, which will constitute a half inning of play. Each turn at bat the batting order will be reversed. (Example: if a player bats last in the 1st inning he/she will bat first in the next inning).
When at bat, the object is to hit a fair ball, reach the base and sound the horn before the defensive team fields the ball, holds if above their head and yells “Blast”. Each batter will return to the dugout after running to 1st base.
Each batter will receive a maximum of 6 swings in which to hit a fair ball. A fair ball is any ball between the foul lines and past the 10 foot fair ball arc in front of home plate.
When of defense, all players will play a defensive position at least 38 feet from home plate. No player shall play catcher.
The home team will be responsible for setting up the field for the game.
Coaches will also serve as umpires while on the field.

Age 4U Tee Ball Rules - Updated 03/15/2005

The official ball of FMYSA 4yr Old Division play will be a reduced injury baseball. This will be a co-ed league. No score will be kept.

An offensive team will be allowed to bat their entire team before switching to defense regardless of the number of runs scored or outs made.

All players should assume a defensive position on the field every inning including the pitcher’s position. The child-pitcher must position themselves on either the right or left side of the 38' pitching rubber and be no more than 3' from the rubber. Additionally, you are allowed to have up to four (4) infielders in addition to the pitcher. The remainder of the defensive players should be spread throughout the outfield at least 10 feet behind the baseline. EVERY player is required to play at least 2 consecutive innings of infield (1st, 2nd, 3rd, SS, Pitcher) this requirement must be met by the end of the 4th defensive inning. No player shall play catcher.

You will bat your entire team in the order listed on the official roster. Should a coach deem a batter unfit for batting (ie: crying, afraid of the ball, etc), the batter will be skipped in the batting order without an out being recorded and may return at the end of the line up.

All batters will hit from a tee and will receive a maximum of 5 swings in which to hit a fair ball. If the player is unable to hit a fair ball after 5 swings with the ball on a tee, a strikeout will be recorded. No continuous foul balls.

When hitting from the tee a foul ball will be called unless the ball is hit out of the dirt arch in front of the batter box.

The batter must hit the ball off the tee. A foul ball will be called if the batter swings and hits the tee only causing the ball to travel outside the dirt arch area in front of the batter box.

In addition to the normal ways in which a batter/runner may be put out, the following rule will apply with respect to force plays at any base. A runner will be declared out by the coach if the runner is being forced to the involved base and:

The fielder is in contact with the base
The ball makes contact with the fielder’s glove or body, prior to the runner touching the base. The fielder need not catch the ball.

Runners can only advance one (1) base on any hit. Runners can not advance on overthrows. This league is designed for instructional baseball and will be played offensively as station to station baseball.

The coaches will declare the play over when a defensive player has retrieved the ball and all runners have ceased advancing one (1) base.

Since there are no umpires, each coach will be honorable while determining the outcome of every play. . Parents should not argue with the coaches. This only delays the game and presents a bad image to the players and fans.

The Offensive team will have a coach placing the ball on the Tee and will be stationed in the home plate area. This coach must step away after each ball is batted in play and not interfere with any player or defensive play. The all coaches on the field, offensive and defensive, are responsible for determining the outcome of the play; out or safe.

Up to three defensive coaches are allowed on the field. The coaches must place themselves behind their outfielders and shall not physically interfere with play.

Age 5U Baseball Rules - Updated 03/15/05

All players should assume a defensive position on the field. You are allowed 1 pitcher and 1catcher. The child-pitcher must position himself on either the right or left side of the 38' pitching rubber and be no more than 3' from the rubber. Additionally, you are allowed to have up to four (4) infielders in addition to the pitcher and catcher. The remainder of the defensive players should be spread throughout the outfield at least 15 feet behind the baseline. EVERY player is required to play at least 2 consecutive innings of infield (1st, 2nd, 3rd, SS, Catcher or Pitcher) this requirement must be met in 4 defensive innings.

You will bat your entire team in the order listed on the official roster. Should an umpire deem a batter unfit for batting (ie: crying, afraid of the ball, etc), the batter will be skipped in the batting order without an out being recorded.

Each batter may receive up to six (6) pitches, in which to hit a fair ball. If the child is unable to hit one of the first four (4) pitches, the coach can (optionally) have the player hit from a tee for the last two (2) pitches. If the player is unable to hit a fair ball after 6 pitched balls or 4 pitched balls and two swings with the ball on a tee, a strikeout will be recorded. No continuous foul balls.

When hitting from the tee a foul ball will be called unless the ball is hit out of the dirt arch in front of the batter box.

The batter must hit the ball off the tee. A foul ball will be called if the batter swings and hits the tee only causing the ball to travel outside the dirt arch area in front of the batter box.

In addition to the normal ways in which a batter/runner may be put out, the following rule will apply with respect to force plays at any base. A runner will be declared out by the umpire if the runner is being forced to the involved base and:

The fielder is in contact with the base
The ball makes contact with the fielder’s glove or body